Questions to Ask Yourself to Cut Down the Risk of Kidney Cancer

Answer these 5 questions to know where you stand in the battle of reducing the risk of developing kidney cancer.

Renal or kidney cancer is one of the top 10 most common cancers to afflict men and women of all ages. The word “cancer” strikes fear in our hearts because of the immense amounts of personal fortitude, familial strength, and sheer grit that handling such a condition requires. Medical science has made exponential progress in dealing with diseases like kidney cancer. If diagnosed at a fairly early stage, kidney cancer is rarely fatal. Thousands of people all over the globe, particularly those over the age of 55 years, are routinely diagnosed with this condition. Is there a “one-stop-solution” to prevent cancer of the kidney? The causes of kidney cancer are still not completely understood, so it is not possible to completely prevent this condition. However, there are a number of prevention tips that you can utilize to reduce your risk of developing this disease.

What is a Risk Factor?

According to Cancer.org, a risk factor “is anything that affects your chance of getting a disease such as cancer”. When it comes to kidney cancer, there are a number of risk factors – some of which you cannot control. For example, there is little to nothing you can do to reduce your age or change your family history. But there are plenty of renal cancer risk factors that you can actively work at reducing – starting today! Here are 5 important questions to ask yourself to highlight the areas that you can start working on.

1. Do you smoke?

Smoking causes a number of health issues. When it comes to cancer, smoking is more closely associated with lung cancer, but the harmful effects of smoking do not stop there. Smoking also increases the risk of RCC (Renal Cell Carcinoma) or kidney cancer. In fact, smoking is found to double the risk of kidney cancer! Approximately 30 percent of renal cancers in men, and 25 percent in women can be linked to smoking.

If you smoke or use any kind of tobacco products, quit. Quitting may be easier said than done, and if you are having trouble quitting, here are 13 tricks to quit smoking from successful quitters. The short term benefits kick in just 20 minutes after you finally quit smoking, and the long term benefits include highly decreased risks of developing diseases such as lung and kidney cancer.

2. Are you obese?

Obesity is another known risk factor for kidney cancer. Caused by many years of maintaining an unhealthy high-fat diet, obesity causes a number of diseases, and is a risk factor for developing renal cancer too. Maintain a healthy weight is important if you want to reduce the risk of heart diseases and kidney cancer. A healthy diet coupled with regular exercise can help you lose all the unnecessary pounds, get back in shape, and reduce the threat of a risk factor. Here are a few things you can include in your diet to reduce the risk of this disease:

Fiber

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), foods high in dietary fiber may help cut your risk of kidney cancer if you are not obese. Once you’ve brought your weight down to the optimum level, don’t forget to include fiber and fiber-rich foods in your diet. This includes foodstuffs such as leafy greens, bran, cabbage, raspberries, celery, cauliflowers, broccoli, and the aptly named, kidney beans.

Fatty Fish

According to a study conducted at the Karolinksa Institute in Sweden, fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon, and herring contain more than 30 times the omega-3 fatty acids and 5 times the Vitamin D content, when compared to lean fish. The study also found that women who included fatty fish in their diet at least once a week showed a reduced risk of developing kidney cancer by 44 percent!

Vegetables

According to the Bastyr Center for Natural Health, those who reported consuming maximum vegetables and vegetable juices had a 30 percent lesser chance of developing kidney cancer.

Create a diet plan that comprises of lean protein, vegetables, fiber, heart-healthy fats, and fruits to reduce the risk of developing this disease to some extent. It is needless to say that eating healthy has a host of other benefits too.

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